5. I'm Reborn

Anastasia's POV

"Wake up, Anastasia! You can't die on me now, not when I've only just begun to toy with you," Kelvin sneered, his grip on my throat like a vice. I fought to break free, but his hands were unyielding.

Finally, I managed to pry open my eyes, it was only a dream, I gasped for air as if it were a luxury. "Anastasia, darling," my father cooed, his presence a welcome respite from Kelvin's cruelty.

But my relief was short-lived, as my gaze fell upon my stepmother and sister, their eyes blazing with malevolence.

I turned my attention back to my father, the beeping of the hospital machines a stark reminder of my precarious situation. "What happened to you, my princess?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Kelvin...Kelvin is trying to kill me, Father," I whispered urgently. "I need to get out of here, now!"

"Look, darling, your husband is here," my father said, his voice laced with a mix of confusion and concern.

"He's not my husband!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the hospital room, shocking everyone present. The outburst came at a cost, as a searing pain shot through my side, where a bandaged wound still oozing blood. The accident had left me with a nasty injury, and the stress wasn't helping.

"Calm down, honey, you'll be fine. You're just stressed out," Kelvin said, his voice sugary sweet, as he attempted to caress my face. But I was having none of it, and I brushed his hand away before he could make contact.

"Look after my princess, I need to go to the precinct to find out why my daughter was found in a police van." My stepmother and stepsister offered to accompany him.

They never liked me one bit and I knew they had only come to mock me in my situation but I preferred them to stay, if only to keep Kelvin at bay.

As my father prepared to leave, I clung to him, desperation creeping into my voice.

"Dad, please stay with me! Don't leave me with him! He's evil, Dad, please!" I begged, my eyes locked on my father's, pleading with him to see the truth.

He hesitated, his gaze darting from me to Kelvin, before finally nodding. "I'll be back, watch after my daughter," he said, his voice firm.

Kelvin's response was smooth as silk. "You can trust me on that, sir." But I knew better. Behind that charming facade lurked a monster, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

And I knew that the moment my father walked out of that door, I would be at Kelvin's mercy, and my life would be in grave danger.

As soon as my father left and the door closed, Kelvin's mask slipped off, revealing his true sinister intentions. I tried to escape the hospital bed, but he poked the sensitive wound on my side, sending a searing pain through my body. I let out a loud cry, but he quickly muffled my mouth with his hand.

"Shut up!" he hissed, his eyes gleaming with malice.

Enraged, I sunk my teeth into his palm, and he yelped in pain, retaliating with a slap across my face. I forced back the tears, my gaze blazing with fury as I confronted him.

"You think you're tough? Wondering how I survived that brutal accident? Wishing I'd just die and vanish from your life?" I sneered, recognizing the anger and frustration in his tone.

"No matter how hard you try to destroy me or erase me from your life, know this: I will always come back," I declared, my voice steady and defiant. Kelvin's response was a mocking laugh, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"What, like some kind of revenge or what. Oh, spare me the facade" he taunted, his voice dripping with condescension.

"You should be scared of retribution?" I said to him, with every strength in my body as I watched him.

"Retribution? What a joke..I think that's for lowly people, and what can a dead fish like you do," he mumbled.

I watched in horror as Kelvin pulled out a syringe from his pocket, my heart racing with fear. "What are you going to do to me?" I asked, trying to sound brave despite the terror that gripped me.

"It's simple," he replied, his voice cold and detached. "I'll end your life myself." With a swift motion, he injected the liquid from the syringe into my neck.

I struggled and squirmed, but he was too strong, and soon the entire contents of the syringe had been emptied into my body.

I felt a searing pain coursing through my veins, and my vision began to blur. Kelvin disconnected me from the life-support machine, and I felt my strength ebbing away.

"I can't die now, please give me a second chance," I whispered, my voice barely audible through the agony that wracked my body. Tears streamed down my face as I pleaded with fate to spare my life.

Kelvin's face twisted into a cruel smile, his eyes gleaming with a sinister pleasure. "Goodbye, dear wife," he sneered. "See you never again." His voice was laced with disdain and satisfaction, and I knew I was staring into the face of pure evil.

As the darkness closed in around me, I realized that I was at the mercy of a monster, and my life was slipping away with each passing moment.

"A second chance, please... that's all I ask," I whispered, my voice barely audible as my life force ebbed away. I prayed fervently, hoping against hope that fate would grant me a reprieve, a chance to be reborn and start anew.

As I closed my eyes, surrendering to the darkness, I felt my racing heartbeat slow to a faint flutter. My vision blurred, but I could still see Kelvin's malevolent gaze, his eyes gleaming with triumph as he watched me succumb to his cruelty.

My mind grew foggy, but one thought echoed through my consciousness, a desperate plea:

"A second chance... that's all I ask... that's all I ask..." And with that, I fell into the abyss of unconsciousness, leaving behind a world of pain and betrayal, but clinging to the hope that someday, somehow, I would be given another chance at life.

"Hello, hello, Miss? Can you hear me?" a voice pierced through the fog in my mind, accompanied by a hand waving in front of my face. I slowly opened my eyes, groggily taking in my surroundings. Was this real? Was I still alive? And where was I?

The man's words barely registered as he urged me to move my car, claiming I was holding up traffic. But I was too consumed by the haze of confusion to care. "What's today?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The man's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "It's July 14th," he replied, clearly perplexed by my question.

A pause hung in the air as I processed this information. And then, it hit me - today was my anniversary. The same day I had caught Kelvin cheating on me, and a day before I was framed and killed.

But something was different. I had gone back in time, reliving the same day once more. A second chance.

"I'm reborn," I exclaimed, a surge of joy coursing through me. The man stared at me, bewildered, as if I had lost my mind. But I didn't care. I was given another chance, and I was determined to make the most of it.